Sunday, December 9, 2012

'54 Packard Panther

1954 Packard Panther Daytona Roadster was a fully functional automobile capable of high performance and sheathed in an incredible fiberglass skin. The body's fiberglass construction was a major innovation given its length of nearly 17 feet. Parts of the shell had to be a whole inch thick just to offer sufficient structural integrity. Designed by Dick Teague, the bodies were created by Mitchell-Bentley.
With a 359c.i. eight pushing 212hp and feeding a 2-speed Ultramatic auto transmission, the Panther was incredibly drivable for a concept. Four were produced, and one was used as a real driver by William Mitchell, Sr. of Bentley-Mitchell. This very car, the only Panther ever created with a removable hardtop.